We are happy to see the same faces showing good retention of staff.
Who we are
Our story
A Vision for Change
In the early 1990s local families working with local health visitors and teachers recognised the need for high quality, flexible and affordable childcare to address barriers to employment and ensure that children had the very best start; to learn and develop. They set up First Steps, a grass roots charity deeply embedded within the community, they recruited, employed and trained local people, offering good terms and conditions of employment and fair pay demonstrating that families are able to be better off in work.
Baby Explorer
Growing the Vision
First Steps evolved from a community nursery to an Early Excellence Centre in 2001, followed by achieving Neighbourhood Nursery status in 2002. In 2003 the nursery centre was designated as Bath and North East Somerset’s first Sure Start Children’s Centre.
In 2004 First Steps moved into a new purpose built Centre in Woodhouse Road, Twerton, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Nicholson (a local businessman) and Pine Tree Trust, the Diocesan Board of Education, and to two capital grants from the Early Excellence programme and the National Lottery. This became our ‘headquarters’ and registered office, as well as housing expanded nursery provision and family support services.
Also in 2004 First Steps took over (at B&NES request) a private nursery next door to Moorlands Infant School in Oldfield Park. After development work, First Steps Moorlands Children’s Centre achieved its designation as our second Sure Start Children’s Centre in August 2006. Our Company name was changed in early 2007 to become ‘First Steps (Bath), with the service delivered from Woodhouse Road becoming ‘First Steps Twerton Children’s Centre’
Securing the Future
In 2018 First Steps took on the contract for the Early Years Specialist service, Bath Opportunity Preschool, based at Three Ways School and a rebuild of the Community Children's Centre at Moorlands.
First Steps continues to work in close partnership with parents, professionals and the local community delivering services that enable families to develop positive, loving relationships with their children and support their continuing development.